Last month , I posted a 'wee rant', taking a poke at the advent of 'halo bikes,' and their skyrocketing super-premium prices. It surprisingly spawned exponentially way more traffic to our little wielercafe than any other topic posted since its inception. Picked up by a few forums, the debate kept going for quite awhile.

Learned something. People love to talk about the bike. And that for many, their top-level bike is it's a sacrifice they're happy to make, a hard-earned possession, and their true passion. Challenge it at your peril!

Fair enough. Many who love cycling express that with a real passion for the best cycling technology, and really get joy from it. Thankfully a high-end bicycle is one 'luxury' where the absolute best is still an accessible stretch for many who really, really want it.

I'd always thought of the bike somewhat more practically, and narrowly I admit, a…

And then there's consumer electronics, which in that pre-digital time, meant televisions and radios, tubes and transistors. If you were a cycling fan in France or Belgium back then, there was a pretty fair chance you listened to Radio Tour in your Citroen on a Sonolor radio, or watched LeTour on Eurovision at home on a Sonolor brand TV set.

Went downhill skiing at nearby Mt. Wachusett with my son, always a great day out. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that they had enough snow to have most of the mountain open and ski-able- because we haven't had much this year. It wasn't so crowded either - just a 1-2 minute lift line for most of the day - not bad for a holiday weekend Saturday...

Out on the pistes, just when I'd get my turns linking nicely, and feeling like Henri Duvillard or Gustavo Thoeni (giant slalom stars from my generation baybay), some guy who could really carve fast would come blowing by me, bursting my balloon and exposing me for what I am - an aged road racing cyclist trying to pass himself off as an expert downhill skier.

Q: What's the biggest lie in skiing.

A: "Advanced Intermediate"

Not that impefection on planks has ever stopped roadies going downhill skiing from time to time. Back in the early-to-mid sixties, …

“The novelties of one generation are only the resuscitated fashions of the generation before last.”
- George Bernard Shaw (another Irish guy genetically unqualifed to comment on fashion)

Ah yes, New Year Day. The cue for Pro Tour teams to roll out their new maillots.

Rabobank, Saxobank, Green edge, Quick Step, Katusha are all going with the 'classic' look: solid, bold color blocks. I'm wagering Radio Shack and Garmin will follow suit with slight tweaks to last year's kit. The net effect is that it looks like we'll be better able to tell them all apart this year, eh? All in all an evolution in the right direction...

Green Edge looks like they snagged and tweaked the now defunct Lay-o-pard kit. ("No worries mate, watch this, easy...I'll just change that sky blue to green... now that's a real beauty, eh?)

Classic style? Here's a photo that's an icon of original classic maillot style: The Four Horseman of Notre Dame…

In case you hadn't seen it, Sporza's Michel Wuyts just put together an extension to his great TV series last year 'De Flandriens', airing weekly now on Belgian TV station CANVAS. This new series - De Flandriens van het Veld - focuses on Belgium's legacy of cyclocross champions.

Clip below is from a Belgian talk show previewing the series... some cool old footage.

Here's the trailer for week one. Good footage of Erik DeVlaeminck. De beste crosser of all time? A lot of Duvel can get consumed in that arguement. Based on palmares and legendary story factor, I'd give Erik the nod, but you can weigh in. (More on that in a bit...)

Unfortunately more segments or clips are not on the web yet... hopefully they'll put them up once the series is over.

While Wuyts keeps the heritage thread alive and well, a new generation of Flemish cross stars have been providing great entertainment this fall and winter. I confess since cross season started, I've be…

I started bicycle racing New England roads way back in 1976 when shorts were wool, helmets leather and $250 could snag that white Peugeot PX10 that was all you needed to jump in the pack with the best.
A half-decent sprint brought modest amateur success, earned me the nickname “Fast Eddy” and fueled an indelible cycling obsession - launching a lifetime in roles orbiting in and around cycling.
Top category amateur racer, founding member of New England’s most prestigious cycling club, product marketing manager for global cycling brands, European bike-biz veteran, creator and owner of one the coolest road-bike shops ever, occasional drinking partner of professional cycling champions.
At age 57 in my spare time I’m still an avid cyclosportive and cycling travel adventurer, and not mellowing with age.
A passionate cycling fan, I've collected just enough experiences to be dangerous. Warning for the politically correct: My world view on cycling and life is unapolgetically old-school, euro-centric, opinionated, and as hard-hitting Boston-Irish as a Dropkick Murphy’s soundtrack.